Letter from the Finnish Falun Dafa Association to the King of Thailand

26.5.2003 Helsinki, Finland

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej Rama IX of Thailand

His Majesty,

I am honoured on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners in Finland, to write to His Majesty. We would like to bring to your attention our concerns about an issue now taking place in Thailand.

Mrs. Pirjo Svensson, 44, a Swedish citizen, qualified nurse and Falun Gong practitioner has been held in detention in Bangkok for three weeks now. She has been accompanying her husband for the last 3 years because her husband has been in Thailand in connection with his work. Mrs. Svensson was born in Finland; she has stayed with us many times. We are good friends.

At 8:00 am on the 29th of April 2003, immigration/police officers unlawfully entered and searched her hotel room and confiscated material on the subject of human rights and the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Although Pirjo has not committed any offence, the police have revoked her visa and forced her to voluntarily leave Thailand along with her husband. When she refused to be deported without reason, the police locked her up in jail with 100 other people. She has been in jail for three weeks now.

This happened during a SARS meeting with top officials, when the Chinese Prime minister was visiting Thailand. It is obvious that the arrest resulted from the pressure of the Chinese authorities. The Jiang regime is afraid that their human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners will be exposed.

Falun Gong is a very peaceful cultivation practice of mind and body. It includes 5 sets of exercises and teaches the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. We have all benefited from this practice both mentally and physically. The practice originated in China, and has attracted more than 100 million people worldwide in 10 years; most of the practitioners reside in China. In 1999 when the number of practitioners exceeded that of the communist party, President Jiang Zemin launched a brutal campaign in order to "eliminate" Falun Gong using every possible means. Falun Gong is non-political, and it has never been against China or the government of China. Despite this, the persecution in China has claimed millions of victims, and thousands of practitioners have lost their lives while others are facing torture and cruel punishment in labour camps and prisons. The brutal persecution that the current Jiang regime is carrying out against Falun Gong practitioners is unacceptable by any standards and it has been strongly condemned by the international community and human rights organisations.

Currently Falun Gong practitioners in USA and Europe have sued Jiang Zemin and several top Chinese officials, for crimes ranging from torture to genocide, aided by human rights lawyers and other legal experts. Attached is a short report of these lawsuits, in order to have His Majesty know more about these legal proceedings.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sweden and the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok has formally contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand. TV, radio, and some major newspapers in Sweden have also reported the incident, and have emphasized that Mrs. Svensson is innocent. At present, the Swedish government is actively negotiating with the Thai government to help Mrs. Svensson regain her freedom. Mrs. Svensson should be released immediately because she hasn't done anything wrong.

We hope that His Majesty would help Mrs. Pirjo Svensson to be released and allowed to return to her husband, family and friends. This will do good for the relationship between Sweden and Thailand.

With the highest respect to His Majesty,

Yours sincerely,

The Falun Dafa Association of Finland